DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 4, 6, 11, 13, 18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 4 recites the limitation "the first subcarriers" in line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The same rejection is applied to claims 11 and 18.
Claim 6 recites the limitation “wherein the sending the first amplitude shift keying signal and the second amplitude shift keying signal comprises: determining, in a first time period based on the first data, to transmit a modulation symbol ON in an amplitude shift keying signal on a third frequency band and transmit a modulation symbol OFF in an amplitude shift keying signal on a fourth frequency band, wherein the third frequency band is one of the at least one first frequency band and the at least one second frequency band, and the fourth frequency band is all frequency bands in the at least one first frequency band and the at least one second frequency band other than the third frequency band.” It is not clear whether the fourth frequency band includes the at least one first frequency band and the at least one second frequency band or not. The same rejection is applied to claims 13 and 20.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 – 3, 5 – 10, 12 – 17 and 19 – 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hosseinian et al (US 2023/0337135).
Re claim 1, Hosseinian teaches of an information processing method, comprising: performing first modulation on first data (LP-WUS payload, Figures 9 and 12) to generate a first amplitude shift keying signal (OOK, Constellation Mapping, Figures 9 and 12, Paragraphs 0075 and 0085, where OOK is a form of ASK), wherein the first amplitude shift keying signal is carried on at least one first frequency band (top group of LP-WUS tones, Figures 10 and 13); performing second modulation on the first data to generate a second amplitude shift keying signal, wherein the second amplitude shift keying signal is carried on at least one second frequency band (second or bottom group of LP-WUS tones, Figures 10 and 13), and the at least one second frequency band and the at least one first frequency band have different frequencies (different LP-WUS tones, Figures 10 and 13); and sending the first amplitude shift keying signal on the first frequency band and the second amplitude shift keying signal on the second frequency band (sending the LP-WUS block, Figures 10 and 13).
Re claim 8, Hosseinian teaches of communication apparatus (Fig.17), comprising: one or more processors (processor, Fig.17) and one or more memories (#1730, Fig.17), wherein the one or more memories are coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more memories store computer program code (#1740, Fig.17), the computer program code comprises computer instructions, and when the one or more processors execute the computer instructions, the communication apparatus is enabled to perform operations comprising: performing first modulation on first data to generate a first amplitude shift keying signal, wherein the first amplitude shift keying signal is carried on at least one first frequency band; performing second modulation on the first data to generate a second amplitude shift keying signal, wherein the second amplitude shift keying signal is carried on at least one second frequency band, and the at least one second frequency band and the at least one first frequency band have different frequencies; and sending the first amplitude shift keying signal on the first frequency band and the second amplitude shift keying signal on the second frequency band (see claim 1).
Re claim 15, Hosseinian teaches of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (Paragraphs 0124 – 0125), wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions (#1740, Fig.17); and when the computer program or the instructions are run on a communication apparatus (Fig.17), the communication apparatus is enabled to perform operations comprising: performing first modulation on first data to generate a first amplitude shift keying signal, wherein the first amplitude shift keying signal is carried on at least one first frequency band; performing second modulation on the first data to generate a second amplitude shift keying signal, wherein the second amplitude shift keying signal is carried on at least one second frequency band, and the at least one second frequency band and the at least one first frequency band have different frequencies; and sending the first amplitude shift keying signal and the second amplitude shift keying signal (see claim 1).
Re claims 2, 9 and 16, Hosseinian teaches of wherein the first amplitude shift keying signal and the second amplitude shift keying signal correspond to a same amplitude shift keying modulation symbol (same symbol as shown in Figures 10 and 13).
Re claims 3, 10 and 17, Hosseinian teaches of wherein the sending the first amplitude shift keying signal and the second amplitude shift keying signal comprises: sending the first amplitude shift keying signal on a first subcarrier (on a subcarrier as shown in Fig.13), and sending the second amplitude shift keying signal on a second subcarrier (on a different subcarrier as shown in Fig.13), wherein the first subcarrier is subcarriers with consecutive frequencies in the first frequency band (Fig.13), and the second subcarrier is subcarriers with consecutive frequencies in the second frequency band (as shown in Fig.13).
Re claim 5, 12 and 19, Hosseinian teaches of wherein that the first frequency band and the second frequency band have different frequencies comprises: a frequency spacing between the first frequency band and the second frequency band (frequency spacing (7 subcarriers) between top group of WRE and bottom group of WRE) is a frequency value greater than or equal to a bandwidth of the first frequency band (top group of WRE contains 3 subcarriers).
Re claims 6, 13 and 20, Hosseinian teaches of wherein the sending the first amplitude shift keying signal and the second amplitude shift keying signal comprises: determining, in a first time period based on the first data (time period for transmitting LP-WUS Block, Fig.13), to transmit a modulation symbol ON in an amplitude shift keying signal on a third frequency band (LP-WUS tones 1002, Fig.13) and transmit a modulation symbol OFF in an amplitude shift keying signal on a fourth frequency band (the rest of the subcarriers where LP-WUS tones 1002 are not included, Fig.13), wherein the third frequency band is one of the at least one first frequency band and the at least one second frequency band (subcarriers of the LP-WUS tones 1002, Fig.13), and the fourth frequency band is all frequency bands in the at least one first frequency band and the at least one second frequency band other than the third frequency band (the rest of the subcarriers, Fig.13).
Re claims 7 and 14, Hosseinian teaches of wherein the performing first modulation on first data to generate the first amplitude shift keying signal, and performing second modulation on the second data to generate the second amplitude shift keying signal, comprises: performing channel encoding on the first data to determine second data (#902, Fig.9 and #1201, Fig.12); performing the first modulation (#1202, Fig.12) on a first part of the second data to generate the first amplitude shift keying signal (first group of WRE, Fig.13); and performing the second modulation on a second part of the second data to generate the second amplitude shift keying signal (second group of WRE, Fig.13), wherein in response to the first amplitude shift keying signal is carried on at least two first frequency bands (3 subcarriers, Fig.13), the first amplitude shift keying signal comprises at least two amplitude shift keying modulation symbols (2 symbols, Fig.13), and the at least two amplitude shift keying modulation symbols are respectively carried on the at least two first frequency bands (as shown in Fig.13).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 4, 11 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hosseinian in view of Li et al (US 2025/0175899).
Re claims 4, 11 and 18, Hosseinian teaches all the limitations of claims 1, 8 and 15 as well as wherein the sending the first amplitude shift keying signal and the second amplitude shift keying signal comprises: sending the first amplitude shift keying signal on a first subcarrier, and sending the second amplitude shift keying signal on a second subcarrier (as shown in Fig.13), wherein the first subcarriers are consecutive subcarriers that are in the first frequency band, the second subcarriers are consecutive subcarriers that are in the second frequency band (as shown in Fig.13). However, Hosseinian does not specifically teach of wherein the first subcarriers are nonconsecutive subcarriers that are in the first frequency band and whose frequency spacing is a first value, the second subcarriers are nonconsecutive subcarriers that are in the second frequency band and whose frequency spacing is a second value, and the first value and the second value are positive integers greater than or equal to 1.
Li teaches of sending the first amplitude shift keying signal on a first subcarrier, and sending the second amplitude shift keying signal on a second subcarrier (as shown in Fig.3), wherein the first subcarriers are nonconsecutive subcarriers that are in the first frequency band and whose frequency spacing is a first value, the second subcarriers are nonconsecutive subcarriers that are in the second frequency band and whose frequency spacing is a second value (Fig.3 and Paragraph 0066), and the first value and the second value are positive integers greater than or equal to 1 (N= 4, Paragraph 0066).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the subcarriers be subcarriers be nonconsecutive subcarriers to ensure high frequency diversity and resilience against frequency-selective fading.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ARISTOCRATIS FOTAKIS whose telephone number is (571)270-1206. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30am-5:00pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sam K Ahn can be reached at (571) 272-3044. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/ARISTOCRATIS FOTAKIS/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2633